American University,

Washington, D.C.

Feb. 27-Mar. 2, 2009

Join Us at the Security Without Empire Conference

There is a sense of relief that many here in the U.S. feel after the presidential election, but we understand this is a time to step up our organizing for peace and economic justice—including the growing movement to close and withdraw the nearly 1,000 U.S. military bases located in foreign nations.

From Okinawa and Guam to Honduras, Germany, Iraq, and beyond people who have suffered from the abuses inherent to foreign military bases have been calling for their withdrawal. People in the U.S. have joined this call, outraged by the damage done by U.S. bases abroad and by their expense, which diverts $138 billion a year from addressing human needs and revitalizing our economy.

Representatives of 15 organizations have come together to organize a national conference for the closing and withdrawal of military bases. The goals of the conference are:

• Share information about U.S. foreign military bases and resistance;

• Develop new strategies and expand the U.S. anti-bases movement;

• Integrate anti-bases organizing into a more coherent movement;

• Raise the visibility of the U.S. and international anti-bases movements;

• Apply pressure on Congress;

• Close and reduce the number of foreign bases.

The conference will feature base opponents from many “host” nations and will include leading activists as keynote speakers, panelists and workshop facilitators.

Monday, March 2, will be a lobbying day on Capitol Hill, in which we encourage as many conference attendees as possible to participate. We’ll provide talking points and group leaders.

• American Friends Service Committee
• American University Department of Anthropology
• CodePink
• Fellowship of Reconciliation
• Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space
• Granny Peace Brigade
• Institute for Leadership Development and Study of Pacific Asian North American Religion at Pacific School of Religion
• Institute for Policy Studies
• International Women’s Network Against Militarism
• Peace Action
• Southwest Workers Union
• U.S. Peace Council
• United for Peace & Justice
• Veterans For Peace
• Women for Genuine Security

www.projectonmilitarybases.org

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March 9, 2007

Declaration: International Conference for the Abolition of Foreign Military Base

Quito and Manta, Ecuador

We come together from 40 countries as grassroots activists from groups that promote women’s rights, indigenous sovereignty, environmental justice, human rights, and social justice. We come from social movements, peace movements, faith-based organizations, youth organizations, trade unions, and indigenous communities. We come from local, national, and international formations.

United by our struggle for justice, peace, self-determination of peoples and ecological sustainability, we have founded a network animated by the principles of solidarity, equality, openness, and respect for diversity.

Foreign military bases and all other infrastructure used for wars of aggression violate human rights; oppress all people, particularly indigenous peoples, African descendants, women and children; and destroy communities and the environment. They exact immeasurable consequences on the spiritual and psychological wellbeing of humankind. They are instruments of war that entrench militarization, colonialism, imperial policy, patriarchy, and racism. The United States-led illegal invasions and ongoing occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan were launched from and enabled by such bases. We call for the immediate withdrawal of all foreign troops from these lands and reject any planned attack against Iran.

We denounce the primary responsibility of the U.S. in the proliferation of foreign military bases, as well as the role of NATO, the European Union and other countries that have or host foreign military bases.

We call for the total abolition of all foreign military bases and all other infrastructure used for wars of aggression, including military operations, maneuvers, trainings, exercises, agreements, weapons in space, military laboratories and other forms of military interventions.

We demand an end to both the construction of new bases and the reinforcement of existing bases; an end to and cleanup of environmental contamination; an end to legal immunity and other privileges of foreign military personnel. We demand integral restauration and full and just compensation for social and environmental damages caused by these bases.

Our first act as an international network is to strengthen Ecuador’s commitment to terminate the agreement that permits the U.S. military to use the base in Manta beyond 2009. We commit to remain vigilant to ensure this victory.

We support and stand in solidarity with those who struggle for the abolition of all foreign military bases worldwide.